Imrah Ministries

By Sidharth Mohandas

Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified. And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone. [Matthew 17: 1-8, NASB]

As I was meditating on this passage the Lord revealed to me something that really amazed me and caused me to be in awe of the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus picks up Peter, James and John and takes them to a high mountain and there He transfigures before them. Moses and Elijah also appear with the Lord. Now Peter gets all excited and blurts out nonsense as he always does. However, we see God interrupting him and saying “This is My beloved Son, with Whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”. Because of the heaviness of God’s Presence the disciples fall face down. But here’s the place of revelation, friends: when the disciples lift their eyes and look up, “they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone”. Don’t you think the wordings sound funny and the emphasis added by the Spirit of God: JESUS HIMSELF ALONE?

Ever since the fall of man, my friends, there is one thing that Holy Spirit has been determined to do: to promote Jesus, to advertise Him, to glorify Him and Him alone. The Spirit has only one message and it is JESUS. He used Moses to get that message out, He used Elijah to get that message out, but the message was Jesus all through out from Genesis to Revelation. Is it any wonder why the Spirit emphasized: Jesus Himself Alone?

The Spirit’s ministry is our model. The Holy Spirit never points to Himself, He will bring glory to Jesus [John 16: 14]. It’s easy to fall into that trap where we start exhibiting our ministry and our gifts; where we are tempted to glorify someone else who is being used by the Lord in a mighty way. But mark my words: if a person is taking all the attention to himself, if he’s glorifying himself, he is working against the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Lord says, “My glory I will not give to another” (Isaiah 48:11) Are we stealing any of His glory? Let’s examine our ministries today and re-align them to the ministry of the Spirit.

Again may these words echo in your spirit: “Jesus Himself ALONE”

By Nick Shelton

I had a dream one night about a sports star who was the greatest athlete ever known. The dream took place during the year 2015. This man came from a small town, but he was eventually known worldwide. His name was Sarus, no first name or initial; he was simply known as Sarus.Sarus became famous playing the U.S. sport, baseball. As a pitcher with an overpowering fastball, he was able to pitch dozens of no-hitters. Every time he stepped into the batter’s box, he was sure to hit a home run. The media wrote in frenzies about him, reporting all his record-breaking triumphs. Fans came from all over to see him. The name Sarus was as well-known in every household, the way name Coca-Cola is known today.

With his lightning-fast speed and great throwing arm, fans convinced this man to play quarterback for an NFL team. Success poured over from the baseball diamond to the gridiron. Sarus won the Super Bowl in his first year as a quarterback.
Around the world, people asked questions such as, “Did you see what Sarus did last night?” and “What time is Sarus playing tonight?” People who had never liked sports before were now interested. Every kid, from 4-14, wanted to be a pitcher or quarterback like Sarus.

After a short three-year career, jealous athletes and crazed fans formed an angry mob and killed Sarus. After his death, his fame only grew, especially when his autopsy showed he had never used any steroids, or foreign substances. Even the jealous athletes agreed that this was the most talented man that ever walked the earth. He grew into a legend. Over the years, his stories were constantly being retold. His career was actually portrayed in a movie that would break all sorts of box office records. The diary he kept was published and sold well over one billion copies.

So could a man ever be as great as Sarus? Of course not. But Jesus was and is.

In His 3 year ministry, throngs of crowds followed Him. I’m sure the talk of the towns was, “Have you heard of this man they call Jesus?” and “Did you hear what Jesus did yesterday?” It was not until after His death that most people realized that He was the man He claimed to be. The Bible, the book written about Him, has become the best-selling book of all-time. Jesus has changed the lives of millions and millions of people throughout time, making Him the most influential man in history.

What has caused this devotion to Him? It’s not because these people’s parents followed Him. It’s not because men in history glorified Him in their writings. It’s not because people are afraid they may go to hell. And it’s not because people turn to the supernatural to explain life – it is because of His love. Love is the only thing that could have stood against time, nations, and all the world’s evil. Jesus loved us more than anything else in the world. Because of this love, He will always reign in people’s hearts.

By accepting Jesus in our hearts, we as humans are doing the greatest thing that we can do – to love.

This man who could walk on water, heal the blind, and raise the dead could have decided to save the world in many different ways, but He chose to do it with love.
Therefore, our purpose in life should be to accept Jesus’ love and to reflect this love in all our actions.

The word Jesus is a powerful word throughout the world. Dozens die everyday because they confess Jesus as the Lord of their life. Millions of others spend their entire lives learning about this man. Millions confess that their ultimate goal in life is to become more like Him. To the millions that have never seen Him, He is easily recognized. People from all nations declare Him as the King of their lives. As John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River, millions are baptized every year. Although He never wrote a line, His book is the best seller of all-time. Although He only used words to teach, his lessons have impacted far more than any other teacher, professor, scientist, or philosopher. Although He never received a formal education, He has served to educate millions on how to live. Although His miracles were only seen by a select few, millions now believe. In just three years, this man left the world with knowledge that will never be forgotten. In just three days, this man suffered, so that all the world’s sins could be forgiven. Since the days that Jesus walked on this earth, the world has yet to be the same.

What do you think about Jesus:

• Is He in your heart?
• Is He the Man written about in the Bible?
• Is He the Man that has changed millions of lives?
• Is He your best friend?
• Is He the One who you asked to take away your sin?
• Is He the person that you are striving to become?
• Is He your Savior?

No matter what Jesus is to you, and no matter how long you’ve been a Christian - Jesus should be the foundation in your life that allows you will allow you to build a great structure for your life.Matthew 14:33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Mark 15:39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”
Matthew 16:16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

The preceding entry is an excerpt from The Christian Tales, a book by Nick Shelton.

When the New Covenant was written, Jewish wedding customs included a betrothal period before the wedding ceremony. The bride gave her consent and the parties involved established the terms of the marriage contract (ketubah). When the covenant was sealed with the bride and groom drinking from a cup of wine, the couple was betrothed and legally bound to one another, usually for one year. It was forbidden to consumate the marriage until after the actual wedding ceremony. Both the bride and the groom had specific responsibilities to prepare for the marriage.

Throughout the year following his betrothal, the groom worked hard to prepare the bridal chamber, often by adding a room in his father’s house. The bridal chamber was where the couple would have their honeymoon for seven days following the wedding ceremony. The bridal chamber did not have to be a palace but it was no inferior work either. The groom’s father gave the final inspection and decided when the bride and groom could enter the chamber (chuppah). It was a lengthy and difficult procedure.

In addition, the groom or his father usually paid the bride’s father a handsome price (mohar) for the bride. (Refer to Genesis 34.) Often, the bride price was not tendered just with cash but by work or other means. Genesis 29 records that Jacob worked seven years for Rachel. 1 Samuel 17:25 records that King Saul promised one of his daughters to anyone who could slay Goliath. This gift was a requirement by law. It symbolized the exchange of the giver’s life for the bride, much like a blood covenant, creating a strong bond between the two families.

While the groom worked on the bridal chamber, the bride prepared by purification and anticipation.

In Jewish law, various circumstances required both men and women to immerse in a ritual bath to purify the body. Every adult woman took such a bath monthly which made her ceremonially clean. This bath also symbolically insured the betrothed woman’s virginity and prepared her for the groom’s arrival. In addition, the bride wore a veil in public to signify her betrothal.

The groom, best man, and other male escorts would leave the Jewish groom’s father’s house and conduct a torch light procession to the home of the bride. As a result of the bride not knowing the exact time the groom would come for her, the groom’s arrival would be preceded by a shout forewarning the bride to be prepared for the coming of the groom.

Each day, the bride waited in anticipation. Every night before bed, the bride prepared her oil lamp in case her groom returned for her after dark. Night after night she listened for the shofar, the ram’s horn, that signaled the arrival of the groom. At any hour, the young groom might return for his bride. The bride’s oil lamp would help light the way as she headed with her attendants through the dark streets of the village to meet him.

Yeshua had these marriage customs in mind when He told the parable of the 10 virgins. In this story, He spoke of the five wise virgins who were ready for the groom’s arrival and the five foolish ones who had failed to prepare. The wise virgins took their lamps and enough oil to light their way when the bridegroom arrived. The foolish virgins did not have enough oil for their lamps. (Matthew 25:12)

Every aspect of the Jewish wedding ceremony has a symbolic parallel in the wedding of Yeshua to his bride. G-d paid the bridal price by sending His Son. (Romans 8:3-4) Yeshua’s sacrifice on the cross paid for the sins of His bride. The New Covenant sealed and confirmed the agreement and conditions for marriage between Yeshua and his bride.

While we wait for His return, Yeshua is preparing a place for us as is written in John 14:1-3 and He will return for us, just as the Jewish groom comes for his bride. Yeshua has spared no expense in His preparations. We shall enjoy a week of days with the L-rd in the bridal chamber.

Yeshua waits for His Father’s word and the angels’ shofar blast that will announce His return for His bride. Like a thief in the night, the bridegroom will come for His bride. As we await His return, Yeshua reminds us to be prepared, like the five wise virgins.

It shall be a glorious time for those who have believe and accepted the Bridegroom, HaShem/The Lord, Yeshua Hamashiach/Jesus Christ. Will you be there?